▲ Recommended
3 hrs
When it comes to incremental games, the core gameplay usually revolves around a very simple mechanic. In this case, your task is to defend a space station from incoming asteroids, debris, and other threats by shooting them down with a turret. The turret fires automatically, so your only responsibility is to aim, survive each wave, and defeat the boss in order to advance to the next one. Unfortunately, the starting turret is one of the worst imaginable, and your first attempt will almost certainly end in disaster.
Fortunately, every failure pushes you a little closer to success. Each destroyed threat drops fuel rods, which serve as the game’s main currency. When your station inevitably falls, usually very quickly in the early stages, you are taken to the upgrade screen, which follows the familiar structure typical of the genre.
At first, only three upgrades are visible, increasing turret damage, station health, and the number of fuel rods you earn. Everything else remains hidden. Purchasing an upgrade reveals any adjacent nodes connected to it by lines. Each newly unlocked node then reveals the next ones in the chain, gradually exposing the entire upgrade tree. The three starting upgrades branch into similar perks, allowing you to focus early on whichever aspect you prefer.
Almost every upgrade node can be purchased multiple times. The maximum number of upgrades is shown, but each purchase increases the cost of the next one. You can approach the tree methodically by fully upgrading one node before moving on, or you can buy upgrades as soon as they become visible. The latter approach is sometimes better because it allows you to access the game’s unique mechanics sooner.
One of these mechanics involves energy nodes that allow you to place additional turrets. You begin with a single basic turret, but there is space for eighteen more, nine on each side of the station. However, apart from the first three slots, the rest must be unlocked with a separate plate drop that is extremely rare early in the game, though it becomes far more common later on.
Another highlight is the variety of turret types you eventually unlock. There are eight in total. The starting turret is fairly decent but requires manual aiming. The second turret is weaker but fires automatically, another deploys small ships, and others introduce their own unique mechanics. These turrets and their upgrades are also scattered throughout the upgrade tree. Once you acquire enough automated turrets, your role becomes passive, leaving you to watch the action unfold while collecting fuel rods. It’s quite easy to upgrade so far that threats will be destroyed before they show up on the screen.
The game also introduces prestige points, which you earn every time you defeat a boss. These points can be invested in any unlocked turret to grant it a special perk, or in the space station itself to add abilities such as a laser or a slowdown field. Each turret has three possible perks that enhance its functionality. For example, the basic turret can gain bouncing bullets, the mine launcher can acquire homing projectiles, and the ship spawner can deploy stronger ships.
Overall, the game respects the player’s time and does not drag on unnecessarily. Within a couple of hours, you can purchase enough upgrades to summon the final boss, who is surprisingly easy to defeat. While the levels continue to scale afterward, progressing further is optional. Also, each stage can be replayed in endless mode.
However, those aiming to unlock every achievement will need to spend several additional hours grinding enemy kills. For perspective, by the time you reach the end, you will likely have completed only around ten percent of the required total. The most efficient strategy is to start a level and simply leave it running in the background while enemies continue to spawn in endless mode. Sadly, there's a huge performance drop in endless mode because of many objects on the screen at the same time.
Fortunately, every failure pushes you a little closer to success. Each destroyed threat drops fuel rods, which serve as the game’s main currency. When your station inevitably falls, usually very quickly in the early stages, you are taken to the upgrade screen, which follows the familiar structure typical of the genre.
At first, only three upgrades are visible, increasing turret damage, station health, and the number of fuel rods you earn. Everything else remains hidden. Purchasing an upgrade reveals any adjacent nodes connected to it by lines. Each newly unlocked node then reveals the next ones in the chain, gradually exposing the entire upgrade tree. The three starting upgrades branch into similar perks, allowing you to focus early on whichever aspect you prefer.
Almost every upgrade node can be purchased multiple times. The maximum number of upgrades is shown, but each purchase increases the cost of the next one. You can approach the tree methodically by fully upgrading one node before moving on, or you can buy upgrades as soon as they become visible. The latter approach is sometimes better because it allows you to access the game’s unique mechanics sooner.
One of these mechanics involves energy nodes that allow you to place additional turrets. You begin with a single basic turret, but there is space for eighteen more, nine on each side of the station. However, apart from the first three slots, the rest must be unlocked with a separate plate drop that is extremely rare early in the game, though it becomes far more common later on.
Another highlight is the variety of turret types you eventually unlock. There are eight in total. The starting turret is fairly decent but requires manual aiming. The second turret is weaker but fires automatically, another deploys small ships, and others introduce their own unique mechanics. These turrets and their upgrades are also scattered throughout the upgrade tree. Once you acquire enough automated turrets, your role becomes passive, leaving you to watch the action unfold while collecting fuel rods. It’s quite easy to upgrade so far that threats will be destroyed before they show up on the screen.
The game also introduces prestige points, which you earn every time you defeat a boss. These points can be invested in any unlocked turret to grant it a special perk, or in the space station itself to add abilities such as a laser or a slowdown field. Each turret has three possible perks that enhance its functionality. For example, the basic turret can gain bouncing bullets, the mine launcher can acquire homing projectiles, and the ship spawner can deploy stronger ships.
Overall, the game respects the player’s time and does not drag on unnecessarily. Within a couple of hours, you can purchase enough upgrades to summon the final boss, who is surprisingly easy to defeat. While the levels continue to scale afterward, progressing further is optional. Also, each stage can be replayed in endless mode.
However, those aiming to unlock every achievement will need to spend several additional hours grinding enemy kills. For perspective, by the time you reach the end, you will likely have completed only around ten percent of the required total. The most efficient strategy is to start a level and simply leave it running in the background while enemies continue to spawn in endless mode. Sadly, there's a huge performance drop in endless mode because of many objects on the screen at the same time.
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